Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

High School Breaks Ground on New Academic Building for $66.8M Construction Project

  • By Matt Jones
  • 06/29/21

School and public officials celebrated a groundbreaking ceremony this week on a new academic building for Clinton High School in Clinton, Iowa. The groundbreaking marks the start of a campus overhaul that will occur in phases, and the full scope of the $66.8-million project is scheduled to be complete by fall 2025. The three-story academic building will house about 75% of the school’s academic classes and is slated to be finished by winter 2022.

Students will continue attending classes in the existing building, adjacent to the construction site, until 2022. Once the new building is ready, the majority of the school’s academic programs will transfer there, and the current academic building will be mostly demolished. Superintendent Gary DeLacy notes that the school’s gym and pool will remain undisturbed. “You’ll have that two-and-a-half-year dance of construction going on, and we’re still conducting business here,” he said.

Once the current academic building is razed, another phase of construction will fill that spot with new buildings that will house a technology education center, a performing and fine arts center, and a commons area. “It will be close to a four-year process to get that all taken care of,” said DeLacy.

The Clinton community passed the project in March 2020, voting for a bond referendum that paid for about $38.7 million of the project. DeLacy commented that because of the coronavirus pandemic, the final cost of the project came in higher than expected, but not by enough to prevent the work from moving forward.

Additional funds are coming from a one-cent sales tax and funds from the Physical Plant and Equipment Levy.

“It’s huge for economic development,” said Mayor Scott Maddaison. “One of the first questions that a site selector or someone coming in is they want to know what the schools look like. It’s just going to be huge to be able to show that off as folks are looking to come to our community.”

The architects for the project are Frevert-Ramsey-Kobes Architects and Engineers, and construction will be done by Tricon Construction of Dubuque.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Moline-Coal Valley School District to Consolidate Two Schools into New Facility

    The Moline-Coal Valley School District in Moline, Ill., recently broke ground on a new elementary school that will consolidate the students and staff from two existing schools, according to local news. Robert Ontiveros Elementary School will serve as the new home for Lincoln-Irving Elementary School and Willard Elementary School.

  • Tennessee Middle School Completes Health, Life Safety Renovations

    The Giles County Board of Education in Pulaski, Tenn., recently announced that a series of renovation projects has been completed at Bridgeforth Middle School, according to a news release. The district partnered with Wold Architects & Engineers and Brindley Construction to modernize building systems at one of the district’s oldest schools.

  • Cal Poly Humboldt Starts Construction on Healthcare Education Hub

    California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt in Arcata, Calif., recently announced that work has begun on a renovation project that will turn the Stewart Building into a new Healthcare Education Hub, according to a news release. The university is partnering with Sundt Construction Inc. for construction services.

  • Deferred Maintenance Issues Growing at Universities, Gordian Reports

    U.S. colleges and universities are falling increasingly behind on facilities maintenance and repair, according to Gordian’s 13th annual State of Facilities in Higher Education report. The deferred capital renewal burden has reached $156 per gross square foot, an 8% increase over the previous year.